THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday said it arrested a Chinese man, and two Filipino cohorts believed to be using surveillance types of equipment for espionage around military sites.
In a briefing in Manila City, Director Jaime B. Santiago said they apprehended a Chinese national named Deng Yuangqing, who had been traversing Luzon since Dec. 8, 2024, with two Filipino cohorts, in a Toyota Rav-4 equipped with suspected surveillance items.
Per their investigation, the trio had been located near Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, raising alarm on national security.
NBI said they were arrested last Jan. 17 in a condominium in Makati City. On Jan. 20, the NBI filed an espionage complaint in connection with cybercrime before the Department of Justice.
“When we caught [Mr. Deng], we asked him if he was a licensed surveyor, or if he represented a research institution, or if he came from a private company, whether he was a military or a law enforcer…He did not have a permit or any license or authority,” NBI Cybercrime Division Chief Jeremy C. Lotoc said in mixed English and Filipino.
Mr. Deng is a specialist in control engineering, automation and engineering, Mr. Santiago said.
The NBI with the Armed Forces of the Philippines identified the equipment found in Mr. Deng’s car as items capable of creating three-dimensional images of structures and a Global Navigation Satellite System, which is used for navigation artillery and guided missiles.
“It’s very possible that the coordinates and the topography could be used for military purposes, military targeting purposes,” Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Romero S. Brawner, Jr. said. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
